Spot and prevent card fraud

You can reduce the risk of accepting a fraudulent card payment by keeping control of the card machine, following the normal card-payment prompts and checking the approved result on the machine before completing the sale.

Keep control of the card machine

Keep the machine in sight during the sale. Let the customer tap or insert their card themselves where possible. Keep the machine with you and follow the normal payment steps, even if someone pressures you to do otherwise.

Check the result on the machine

Wait for Card payment successful before handing over goods or providing the service. A customer’s screenshot, message or verbal assurance is not proof that a card-machine payment succeeded.

If the payment is declined, cancelled, timed out or otherwise unclear, check the result before trying again. See Why a payment was declined or failed before you retry.

Protect the customer’s card and PIN

Let the customer enter their PIN privately and ask them to cover the keypad while they enter it. Never ask for their PIN, enter it for them, photograph their card or write down the full card number.

Use chip cards safely

Insert a chip card so the machine reads the chip. If the chip does not work, do not force a swipe to use the magnetic stripe. A damaged chip or forced fallback can put you at risk of fraud.

Watch for card skimming

Card skimming copies the magnetic-stripe information from a legitimate card so it can be used to make a cloned card. Watch how cards are handled during a sale and make sure a customer’s card is not passed through a separate skimming device.

Card-not-present payments

Accept a card-not-present payment only if your merchant agreement allows it. If your agreement does not allow these payments, the cardholder and card must be present.

Do not bypass the normal payment steps

Be cautious if a customer asks you to accept a screenshot, skip a PIN or security prompt, use a different process or ignore repeated failures. These requests are not proof of fraud on their own, but they are a reason to pause and check the transaction.

If something feels suspicious, stop or cancel the sale. Only hand over goods or provide the service once you're satisfied that the payment is valid.

Keep your transaction records

Keep receipts and transaction records so you can identify the sale if the payment is queried later. If a payment is disputed, see Respond to a chargeback for what to do next.

If the customer says they were charged but your machine shows no success

Do not take a second payment until you've checked the result of the first one. Record the time, amount and message shown on the machine, then contact iKhokha Support on 087 222 7000 or support@ikhokha.com so the first attempt can be checked.